


Milestones

by eponine119



Category: Lost
Genre: F/M, Sawyer & Miles friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:21:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26931295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eponine119/pseuds/eponine119
Summary: Even Sawyer needs relationship advice sometimes.
Relationships: Juliet Burke/James "Sawyer" Ford
Kudos: 12





	Milestones

Milestones  
by eponine119  
August 11, 2020

“Think I'm gonna ask her out.” Sawyer gives Miles a long look, not quite questioning. It's just the two of them, sitting in front of the security video monitors for the fourth hour. They spend a lot of time like this. 

Miles doesn't say anything. His face is unreadable, his chin propped on his hand. 

“Well?” Sawyer asks, frowning. 

“What do you want me to say?” Miles asks. “Hooray? Good for you? Good for you, Jim.” His eyes drift back to the screens. 

“You jealous?” 

“It's not like you were in a rush to get there first,” Miles says. “In fact, what took you so long?” 

“What the hell's that supposed to mean?” Sawyer demands. Miles's eyes scan from screen four to screen six. “Miles.” 

“So you do know my name.” Miles's eyes light up with sarcasm. 

“Course I know your name,” Sawyer says, irritated. “You tellin' me you went out with her?” 

“No,” Miles says. “You didn't say you were going out with her. You said you were going to ask her out. Two different things.” 

“One kinda implies the other.” 

“Only if she agrees,” Miles points out. 

“She turned you down? How come?” 

Miles shrugs. “Probably cause I'm not six-two with hair like Fabio.” 

Sawyer glares at him but takes it. He takes a deep breath. “You think she'll go out with me?” 

“Yeah,” Miles says.

“Well, okay then,” Sawyer says, and nods like it's a done deal. Then he looks at Miles again, for a long moment, and softness comes into his eyes. He makes a gesture with his hands and shrugs.

Miles just shrugs back. 

…

“Think I'm gonna ask her to move in with me.” 

“You think too much,” Miles says. Sawyer looks at him. “I'm just saying. I don't think you have to ask her. She practically lives there already.” 

Sawyer thinks about it. Miles isn't wrong. Juliet's been sleeping in his bed every night. She's got a toothbrush in his medicine cabinet, and clothes in his dresser. It wouldn't take much to make it official. “You think I shouldn't ask her? Just let it happen natural-like?” 

Miles sighs. 

“Don't you think she wants to get asked?” 

Miles's eyes widen. “Maybe she wants to feel like she gets to make a decision. Instead of you second-guessing everything.” 

Sawyer's eyebrows draw together. “She talked to you about this?” 

“We talk,” Miles confirms, nonchalantly, focusing on monitor two. 

“It's her decision,” Sawyer says, when it becomes clear Miles isn't going to say anything more. “She can say no.” 

“She's not going to. Because you're not going to ask her.” 

“I'm not,” he repeats, with confusion. 

Miles meets his eyes. “Trust me on this one.”

“But I --” 

“You want to fuck this up? This is how you fuck it up,” Miles says, his voice getting louder. “You are a control freak.” 

“Am not.” 

“Yes. You are,” Miles says. “Always planning things three moves ahead. Figuring out not only what you're gonna do, but what everyone else is going to do. I know you're bored here, but stop.” 

Sawyer blinks. Is he bored here? 

“It's like the bunnies in the Orchid station,” Miles says. “If you go after them, they hop away. But if you sit still and kind of ignore them, they come right up to you. Eat right out of your hand.” 

“I hate those bunnies.” 

“Who the hell hates bunnies?” Miles asks. He looks at Sawyer. “Just wait, and let her come to you.” 

“Fine, forget I mentioned it,” Sawyer says. 

…

“Think I'm gonna break up with her.” 

“How stupid are you, Jim?” Miles demands. 

Sawyer shrugs and puts his head down, letting his hair fall into his eyes. Miles turns his chair so he's facing Sawyer. 

“All right. Let's have it.” 

“What?” Sawyer asks. 

“Who is she?” Miles asks. 

Sawyer frowns. “What? No. It ain't like that.” 

“You're still hung up on that freaky murder chick from the plane?” 

It takes Sawyer a second to even realize who Miles is talking about. “No,” he says, but more softly. 

“Then tell me, Jim, why you want to dump your hot girlfriend and be alone.” 

Sawyer's frown deepens. When he puts it like that... Sawyer sighs. “Gonna be alone anyway.” 

“Seriously?” Miles demands. “You think she's going to break up with you so you're gonna do it first? You really think that's gonna hurt less? That's how you know you're in love with her.” 

Sawyer's head hurts. 

“Why the hell would she break up with you? She's in love with you.” 

“No she ain't.” That's the whole problem. Thinking about it makes him feel scared inside. She moved in like it was her idea, just like Miles said, and they were damn good together. But lately he felt like that isn't enough for her. 

“Yeah. She is,” Miles says. 

Sawyer's mouth goes dry and his body gets very still. “She say somethin' to you?” 

Miles shrugs. 

“What did she say?” 

“Maybe she didn't have to say anything,” Miles says. 

“You just know,” Sawyer says, irritated again. 

“I call 'em like I see 'em, boss,” Miles says. 

Sawyer thinks about that. 

“Biggest mistake of your life,” Miles says warningly. 

Sawyer lets out a sigh that's almost a growl, but there's a spark of happiness inside him that wasn't there before. 

…

“Think I'm going to ask her.” 

“Ask her what?” Miles asks, preoccupied by the schoolyard fight on monitor 3. 

Sawyer's almost too afraid to say the words out loud. He's not sure what they'll sound like. “Ask her to marry me, Miles,” he says, and it's so earnest it hurts him.

Miles looks at him and he's stunned. Then he closes his mouth and smiles. “It's about damn time, Jim.” 

“You think she will?” 

“Did you get her a ring?” 

“Not yet.” He's been turning it over and over in his head now for months, but he's been afraid to take any steps that would make it real. 

“You know how you're going to do it? Ask her?” 

“One knee,” Sawyer says. “That's it.” There are ideas rattling around in his head, but trying to orchestrate something just makes it feel like a con, and he doesn't like that. The best things between them have always been simple. 

Miles nods, and Sawyer can tell he's thinking. “That would work,” he says. He glances back at the fight. It's over. “You gonna leave?” 

“No! What the hell kinda question is that?” 

Miles shrugs. 

“Why would – doin' that – mean we'd leave here? We got a good thing here. This is where we're supposed to be.” 

“You can't even say the word,” Miles says, but there's laughter around his lips. “You got it bad.” 

“Always have,” Sawyer says plainly. He puts an awkward hand on Miles's shoulder. “Thank you.” 

Miles gives him a look. “For what?” 

“Listening. Givin' advice. Being my friend for the past three years.” He thinks about the conversations they've had here, in front of the monitors, over the years, and he realizes he's a better man because of Miles. Because of a lot of things, but because of Miles too. 

“Don't get mushy on me,” Miles says. “You're getting married, not dying.” 

Sawyer can't help the grin that overtakes him. “I'm getting married.” He can't quite believe it, even hearing himself say the words out loud. 

“Huh. Guess you are.” 

(end)


End file.
